Chapter 8

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Ronon struck out towards the East Pier, Lorne's words ringing in his ears. He may be a crazy bastard but he wasn't going to leave Sheppard out here alone. He owed the man too much. As he slowly swam, his head swiveled, looking for any sign of life in the water. He was in for a little over fifteen minutes when he noticed the cold had started to slow him down and that the wind and waves had picked up. He looked up and it was so dark, he could barely see the storm clouds gathering overhead. His extremities were growing numb and he began to worry. He was only slightly over half way to the pier and he hadn't caught a sight of his friend. He swam a few more yards and thought he saw something in the trough of a wave. Correcting course, he headed to where he was sure he'd seen it. The closer he got, the higher his hopes got. When he was about fifteen feet away, he knew it was Sheppard. The man was struggling to swim forward but was making little to no headway. It wasn't worth wasting the energy to yell to try to get his attention, the wind would make it a useless endeavor. The adrenaline of finding the man alive renewed his strength and he redoubled his efforts.

He was almost there when Sheppard went under and didn't resurface. "No! So not happening! We're too close Sheppard!" He shouted and then dove under, the darkness underneath the water giving him no clue as to where the man was. His sense of direction told him he was in right about the place where he'd last seen him. He dove down a little further and his fingertips touched something. His lungs screaming for air, he went further down instead of up. With a last burst, his hands found Sheppard and he grabbed hold of his shirt, turned and headed for the surface. When he finally reached it, he was starting to see black spots in his vision and he dragged in a gulp of air, coughing as he got a bit of water with it. He pulled Sheppard up and turned him on his back.

"Sheppard? Sheppard, can you hear me?" He got no response and shook the man a little. "Come on buddy, you can't give up now!" He pushed his fingers into the man's neck and felt a pulse, weak and faint. He had to get him out of the water, as soon as possible. Dragging him behind, he got his bearings and headed towards the pier again. Pulling Sheppard's dead weight while trying to swim for both of them, tired him even further and his progress slowed as the weather worsened. He dug deep and found the reserve to continue. What felt like hours later, he bumped up against the pier and then moved towards his right, feeling the walls for the ladder he knew was there. When his hand finally found it, he realized he didn't have the strength remaining that he would need to pull both himself and Sheppard out of the water and he certainly wasn't going to let go of the man. He could only hope that someone was on their way. With that thought, the skies opened up and a heavy rain began to fall.

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Lorne reached the jumper bay to find a small army of people climbing all over Sheppard's favorite jumper. He saw Cadman in the middle of it, barking out orders. When she noticed him, she saluted as she said. "We're just about ready, sir. You just need to decide who's going with you. Everyone here wants to go." Lorne looked at the thirty or so people staring at him and felt a swell of pride as he realized that not all of them were military and included a mixture of both male and female. The people on this base were a good group.

"Okay, listen up! I need anyone who has scuba experience to step forward." Nine of the men and three of the women did so. "Good, now, anyone with water rescue experience?" Five held up their hands, Hank Kline among them. He'd heard about the Colonel being missing through the grapevine, along with the idea that he'd had something to do with Teyla's attack, that part of the rumor being met with derision by anyone who'd listened. When he'd heard for a fact that his CO was out in the water and that Lorne was launching a rescue operation, he'd been one of the first ones to show up in the bay.

"Okay, you five, you're with me. Suit up while we're in the air."

"Major Lorne, you'll need a medic." Said Sgt. LaCroix, one of those not chosen. Lorne could have slapped himself for not thinking of needing medical personnel on board, wondering if he should ask Beckett or Keller to join the mission but then figured they didn't have the time to spare. Grateful she had suggested it, he nodded, and the woman saluted. The six turned and ran into the jumper, Lorne right behind them.

"Sir?" Cadman's voice stopped him and he turned around to look at her. "Bring them home." He nodded once and went inside, hitting the control for the back hatch as he ran by. She stood there and watched as the hatch slowly moved, only turning away once it was fully closed, to find the rest of those who hadn't been chosen still standing behind her. All stood and watched the jumper as it left its dock and began the ascent out of the city, heading into the storm that had begun to rage outside. They watched until it disappeared from view and then every one of them silently headed to the control room to hear how the rescue operation was going. Once they arrived, they found the gate room more crowded than expected as scientists and military alike began to wander in, the news that Sheppard was missing, possibly out in the ocean somewhere, in the middle of the worsening storm with a rescue in process, having spread like wildfire.

McKay and Zelenka were up at the consoles, manning the scanners and talking with the jumper. Cadman made her way to the front and up the stairs. "Rodney?"

"What?" Rodney looked up and realized who it was. "Sorry, what do you need, kinda busy here."

"Would it be possible to put the radio on city wide? There's a lot of people pulling for the Colonel to be found and brought home alive, along with Ronon."

McKay looked at Woolsey who was standing behind him. Richard hesitated and then nodded his assent. McKay turned back and flicked a switch and the sound of Lorne's voice filled the city. "Atlantis, this is Jumper One. We are in the air and beginning a grid search. The weather is going to be an issue. Visibility is not good and getting worse. We're starting a scan for Ronon's sub-q now."

"Jumper One, this is Atlantis, Godspeed." Rodney replied. He looked up to find everyone staring at him in astonishment. "What?"

"Nic Rodneyho, to bylo hezké." Radek patted him on the shoulder, his emotions getting the best of him once again.

"What?"

"Sorry, sorry, I meant to say was very nice."

"Oh, well, why didn't you just say that then?"

Radek just sighed and shook his head. They both turned back to the laptop opened in front of Rodney and watched the sensors track the jumper back and forth across the water, as well as keeping an eye on the sensors as it tracked the front that was now directly overhead. Fifteen minutes went by without a word being spoken on either side when Lorne's voice finally erupted into the city. "Atlantis, this is Jumper One. We have a positive reading on Ronon's transmitter. He's right next to the East Pier. Divers are ready to enter the water when we get close enough."

"Roger Jumper One."

On board the jumper, Lorne maneuvered it over where the scanner said Ronon was, constantly adjusting the inertial dampeners to account for the bad conditions. He worried that rescue from the air might not work with all that wind and choppy ocean. Kline opened the back hatch, laid down on his stomach and shimmied out to the edge, hanging over the lip. He keyed his radio. "Major Lorne, I see them! Ronon has the Colonel and they're hanging onto the starboard side ladder. We need to hurry, the waves are battering them against the walls and I'm not sure how long Ronon can hold on."

"Roger that. Prepare for entry."

"Roger that." Kline shimmied back and joined his fellow divers. He and one other, by the name of Wilhelm Schmidt, a German Naval lieutenant, had drawn the long straws to be allowed to jump into the water to help their two men. They bumped fists, quickly and efficiently pulled on their flippers and masks, having already pulled on their wet suits during the trip out, ready in seconds to jump out of the back of the ship into the cold, dark waters.

"Divers, you have a go!" Lorne said.

Kline and Schmidt each took a deep breath and then jumped out and away from the jumper deck.

"Atlantis, divers away." Lorne said. There was a collective gasp from those waiting but no one said a word, engrossed in the life and death struggle going on outside their walls.

The two divers splashed down about fifty yards from where Hank had seen the two men. Any closer would have been too dangerous in these conditions. Surfacing, they began to swim towards the pier, the waves pummeling them, feeling the cold even through their wet suits. Between one wave and the next, the ladder was suddenly empty. Kline looked wildly around, finally seeing Ronon a few yards away from the wall, frantically trying to get back while not losing hold of Sheppard. He used hand signals to tell Schmidt where they were and the man nodded. They struck out in that direction, losing sight of the two men each time a higher wave came between them. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached them. Hank tried to pull Sheppard away from Ronon, who fought him until he realized what was happening. Slowly, somewhat reluctantly, he released his hold on the Colonel. Hank took him into his arms, alarmed at the lack of movement. Schmidt maneuvered up to Ronon and waited until the man registered his presence. Carefully, he wrapped an arm around the Satedan and felt how tense he was. He was actually alarmed when the man suddenly and completely relaxed in his grip, causing him to almost lose his hold on the big guy.

Hank looked up to the jumper, holding onto the Colonel, buffeted by the waves and watched as the remaining men fed out a line with a harness attached, both blowing wildly in the now nearly gale force winds. They could only hope it would stay more stationary once it reached the water or they'd never be able to grab hold of it. When it finally hit the water, he dragged Sheppard over to it and reached out, only to miss it when a wave struck him from behind. Taking a deep breath, he tried again and missed. He felt Sheppard slipping away and quickly readjusted his hold. When the harness came his way again on a wave, he reached out desperately. This time he was able to make his grab for it. Wrestling the dead weight of the Colonel into it in the rain, wind and waves, was something he quickly decided he never wanted to do again. When he finally had him secure, he reached up and tugged on the rope. Slowly, it was winched up towards the light spilling from the back of the jumper, the man's limp body swinging in the wind. He held his breath until the others were able to grab the Colonel's body and it disappeared inside.

"Atlantis, this is Jumper One. We have Colonel Sheppard on board. Going back for Ronon." Across Atlantis, people held their breath.

The line was lowered again, and Hank now had two hands free to help grab the harness when it reached them. He snagged it on his second try and he and Schmidt had a much easier time manhandling an awake and cooperative Ronon into it. Reaching up, he tugged the rope and the winch began to pull Ronon from the water, his extra weight keeping it from swinging as wildly as it had with Sheppard. When he reached the lip of the hatch, it took three men to pull the sodden ex-runner into the jumper even with his help.

"Atlantis, this is Jumper One, we have both of them!" Lorne said. A cheer went up around the city. Back outside in the water, a relieved Hank and Wilhelm high fived each other and waited for the harness to be lowered for them. They both made short work of getting into it and being lifted back to safety. Inside the jumper, things were not going as well. The medic worked frantically over Sheppard while a bedraggled Ronon looked on.

"Damn it, his temp is down to 86, he's hypothermic! We need to get him out of these wet clothes and wrapped in one of the emergency blankets, now!" While the others worked on stripping Sheppard, LaCroix found some heat packs, activated them and wrapped them in field bandages.

Ronon watched with a frown. "Why are you doing that? Wouldn't it be better to put those directly on him?"

"No, we don't want to burn his skin."

"A burn will heal, he needs to warm up now!"

"I know that Ronon, but warming him up too quickly can lead to heart arrhythmia. We need to avoid that at all costs!" She placed the wrapped packs under the Colonel's armpits as the rest of the men finished getting the wet clothes off him and wrapping him in the blanket. Hank reached out to start chafing the Colonel's hand that was closed to him. "Hank, stop! We need to warm his torso first. Warming his extremities first can lead to shock!" Hank raised his hands and stepped back quickly, scared that he might have done more harm than good.

LaCroix leaned over when she realized the Colonel's chest had stopped moving, she leaned over the man's lips and felt no breath. "Crap, he's not breathing!" She pulled the blanket back down and began chest compressions, alternating with breathing for her CO. The rest looked on with consternation until the first gasp that came from the man on the floor. LaCroix quickly rolled him on his side as the water he'd aspirated came back up. When he was done, the medic rolled him back, checking his vitals again. "Okay, he's back but still unconscious. We need to get him to the infirmary asap! Major, ask for an emergency medical team to be waiting!"

"Already done." Lorne called from the cockpit. "ETA is less than two minutes." No one had noticed the Major leave and sit back down in the pilot's chair, talking quietly with command as he guided the jumper back to the bay. The two minutes it took to dock the jumper back on Atlantis felt like hours to those in the back, watching the almost undetectable rise and fall of Sheppard's chest. Ronon had stripped and allowed himself to be wrapped in another blanket, his total focus being on his friend. When they landed, the medical team, with Dr. Keller and Dr. Beckett leading them, was ready and waiting. The Colonel was swiftly transferred to the gurney and whisked away to the infirmary, LaCroix running alongside and filling Beckett in on what had been done so far.

Ronon made to follow but was stopped by Dr. Keller who insisted he get checked out. The big Satedan gave his best glare but Jennifer didn't back down. "Come on Ronon, you'll be in the infirmary with him, just let us examine you as well. You were in that cold water for a long time too and I can already see bruises forming. Let us do our job!" He frowned and then nodded, used to the human's way of doing things. Arguing would only waste time. She pointed to another gurney and the frown deepened.

"No, I can walk there, I don't need that!"

"You really want to traipse through the corridors of Atlantic dressed only in an emergency blanket?" Jennifer's left eyebrow rose as she looked the big man up and down. Ronon looked down at himself, having forgotten he'd stripped out of his clothes to get warm. He grunted and shook his head no. "Very well then, be a good soldier and hop up. We'll get you to the infirmary as quickly as possible."

Still glaring, Ronon did as he was told, not wanting to admit to feeling a bit rubbery on his feet or that he felt relief when a nurse pulled a heavy blanket up over him, the sensation of spreading warmth something he'd almost forgotten. At a much less frantic pace, the remaining medical team pushed his gurney towards the infirmary and his friend. When they entered, Ronon was disappointed that the privacy curtains were already drawn around the bed where his friend most likely was. He turned and looked for Teyla, frustrated at finding the curtains drawn around her as well. Jennifer noticed where his attention had wandered and patted him on the shoulder. "The last blood tests show that whatever she was given is still in her system and doesn't seem to be metabolizing. However, we're not seeing anything that indicates there will any long-term effects if we can counteract it. All her lab results are normal, liver, kidney, everything except her lungs and with the oxygen support she's getting, she's holding her own."

Ronon nodded and turned his attention back to where Beckett was working on Sheppard, ignoring the doctor and nurses poking and prodding him. He could hear voices from behind the screens but couldn't make out what they were saying. He trusted these people, they were the best medical people he'd ever met, but still….he worried. The infirmary doors whooshed open and he could hear McKay before he saw him.

"Where is he? Is he okay? What's going on?"

Jennifer sighed and patted Ronon on the shoulder, nodding at the nurse to continue the check up on the Satedan. She moved away and intercepted McKay who was steaming right towards the bed where Sheppard was being worked on. "Rodney."

"Jennifer, get out of my way, I need to see how he's doing! None of you will tell us anything!"

"That's because there's nothing to tell right now. He's alive and we're doing everything we can to help him."

"Rodney, why do we not go sit with Ronon while we wait?" Zelenka had come in with the strident Head of the Science Division, just as worried about the man he too called friend.

Rodney McKay felt like he'd been through the ringer. One of his best friends, a man he thought of as a brother, had gone missing. Then his sub-q transmitter had shown up in the water surrounding Atlantis, making him fear he'd really lost him this time. Then they found out there wasn't a body, only the device, leading him to worry that something had eaten his friend. Then they found out he'd been kidnapped by some delusional scientist who'd also poisoned Teyla. Just when he thought they'd found him, the fool hardy idiot had gone for an evening swim in the middle of a gale force storm. All in the span of less than twenty-four hours. They'd all listened as the medic on the jumper had said he wasn't breathing, listened as she worked to bring Sheppard back, finally succeeding. He didn't think he could take much more. "I just need to see him, to see that he's really alive." He whispered, and Jennifer reached out to take his hand, gripping it tightly. She cared for John as well and, while she wouldn't show it, was just as worried about him.

"The Colonel will pull through this, doc. He always does." Said a new voice behind him. McKay turned to find Lorne standing there.

"Yeah, he does. Until the time he doesn't." McKay responded, tired down to his bones. Lorne frowned at him but didn't say anything. He knew how close Sheppard's team was, something he envied on a regular basis. He also knew McKay and Sheppard were the unlikeliest of friends and that both worried excessively when the other was missing or hurt. Still, things were better now. He patted McKay on the shoulder, surreptitiously maneuvering the man towards the bed where Ronon sat, the same worried look on his face.

"Ronon, how're you doing?" Lorne asked.

"I'm fine. Can't say the same for these nurses if they don't leave me alone." Ronon said as he glared at the poor nurse. He was never happy to have a doctor or nurse trying to help him and he was batting away anyone who came close, much to the disgruntlement of said medical personnel. Lorne opened his mouth to say something when Carson emerged from behind the curtain around Sheppard. Instantly, all movement and talking stopped, all eyes on the doctor. He, in turn, smiled tiredly, used to the worry when one of their own was in danger.

"Carson?" Rodney asked.

"He's holding his own. His body temperature is up to 91, that's a huge improvement."

"Is he…is he going to be okay?" McKay asked hesitantly.

"I can't tell you that Rodney. We have no idea what Dr. Hanson gave him. He's still hypothermic, he swallowed ocean water which can lead to secondary drowning or pneumonia and we have no idea what kind of bacteria he may have picked up. He's also pretty bruised up."

"Secondary drowning? What the heck is that?"

"Secondary drowning is when enough water enters the lungs to cause a drop in blood oxygen levels. Death can occur anywhere between one and forty-eight hours later. The water may fill up some of the oxygen-rich pores of the lungs, reducing the lung's ability to oxygenate the blood as it passes through. From there, it can irritate the lungs' lining and fluid can build up, causing a condition called pulmonary edema."

"How likely is that?"

"Well, it's most common in children, but not unheard of in adults. My main worry though is…." He paused.

"What Carson?!" McKay's voice went up an octave.

"Brain damage. We have no idea how long John went without oxygen." He whispered back.

"Brain damage?" McKay's voice was almost nonexistent. "How…I mean, what are the odds?"

"I just don't know Rodney. Like I said, I don't know how long he was without O2. All we can do is wait and see. As far as the pneumonia or any possible bacteria goes, unfortunately, I can't treat him with anything because of the compound Dr. Hanson gave him. Any of our medications could interact badly with it, killing him surer than anything else."

Lorne spoke up. "Would it help if we could find whatever Hanson dosed John with?"

Carson looked at him. "Aye, laddie, it couldn't hurt. Although with Teyla, even having a sample, we couldn't come up with an antidote using the food Hanson dosed. A pure, undiluted sample would be a boon."

"On it." Lorne turned and marched out of the infirmary, determined to ransack Hanson's quarters and lab for anything that would help. Ronon threw off the blanket, determined to go with him but was pushed back onto his bed by Beckett.

"No, laddie, you stay here. We need to keep an eye on you and I think it would help John and Teyla if their team were here to support them." He blatantly played on their closeness and was relieved when Ronon nodded and sat back.

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Lorne swiped open the door to Hanson's room and stopped short, his jaw dropping open. There were framed candid shots of Colonel Sheppard on almost every flat surface. He blinked and walked forward, picking one up. The picture was obviously taken in the mess hall and showed him laughing at something, completely unaware he was being photographed. Either no one was sitting with him or she'd cropped them out. He put it back and unconsciously wiped his hand on his pants leg. Trying to ignore them, he began methodically going through her room. When he got to the dresser, he took a deep breath, feeling like a voyeur. He opened the first one carefully, riffling through her clothes. By the third drawer he was no longer feeling the need to be neat. When he pulled out a man's t-shirt, he knew whose it was and just shook his head. He threw it back in the drawer, pretty sure the Colonel wouldn't want it back.

Frustrated at finding nothing, he ransacked the drawers to her desk. He closed them a little harder than needed and the bottom one bounced back with a clank. Kneeling, he pulled the drawer out, only now noticing that it was shorter than the ones above it. He reached in and felt around, finding a case pushed all the way to the back. He pulled it out and tried to open it but with no luck. It was locked, and he had no idea what the combination might be. He placed it carefully on the bed and finished his search, knowing he'd find nothing else but not wanting to take a chance. When he finished and was proven correct, he picked up the case and left the room, heading directly for the infirmary. He'd drop it off and then move on to her lab.

Three heads turned his way when he entered. Ronon was sitting up in bed with McKay and Zelenka sitting on chairs by his bedside. All three had been silently watching the curtained off area where Sheppard and Teyla were and silence wasn't something Rodney McKay was known for.

"Did you find something?" He asked, already reaching out for the case in the major's hands.

"Yeah, found this case hidden in her desk behind a false drawer." His tone made it obvious that wasn't all he found as he relinquished it.

"What else?" Rodney knew that look. He'd been around Lorne enough to know that something else had happened. Lorne shifted uncomfortably, not sure how much Sheppard would want him to share. "Out with it major!" Rodney commanded.

"Look, I'm not sure how weirded out John will get about this. You have to keep it to yourselves, at least until we talk with him." All three nodded. "Okay, turns out she has pictures of the Colonel all over her quarters and I found a man's t-shirt, one I'm pretty sure belongs to him, in one of her drawers."

"Eww."

"Yeah."

The curtain around Sheppard parted as Beckett and Keller exited and made their way over to them. They could just make out Marie hovering over John before the curtains closed again.

"Did I hear ye found something laddie?" Carson asked.

"Yeah, doc, I found a case that looks pretty promising, but it's locked, and we'll have to see if we can get Hanson to give up the combination." They all turned towards McKay when they heard a snick, to find him holding the now open case.

"Have you now added lock picking to your skill set, Rodney?" Jennifer tried to tease him.

She was surprised when he looked up from the case with a sickly look on his face. "No, I just tried the first thing that came to mind." He said quietly and stopped.

"What McKay?" Ronon asked, getting impatient.

"John's birthday."

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